British Foreign Secretary Lizz Truss has said the United Kingdom and Australia would continue to show “robust vigilance” in defending freedom and democracy in the face of rising threats from “malign aggressors.” Truss is in Australia along with British Defence Secretary Ben Wallace for ministerial-level talks with their counterparts, Foreign Minister Marise Payne and Defence Minister Peter Dutton. It will be the first two-on-two “AUKMIN” talks hosted in Australia since the start of the pandemic The two nations are aiming to forge stronger economic, security, and technological ties in a bid to correct the reliance on China and Russia for trade and resources, which Truss described as a strategic vulnerability. “The AUKUS partnership between the UK, Australia, and the United States is a clear demonstration of how we will defend our values, protect trade routes, and increase stability across the Indo-Pacific,” Truss said in a release. “In Australia, I will be strengthening …